Even though the Chicago Bulls are 5-1 since point guard Derrick Rose went down with a groin injury, I doubt there are any Bulls fans out there that are not wishing for the reigning MVP to return. The Bulls have performed admirably in Rose’s absence, even pulling a win out against the Miami Heat and dismantling the Orlando Magic, but they will definitely need Rose if they want a shot at the Finals.
Rose has been more injury-prone than usual this season. He has already missed 16 games with different ailments, and will most likely be missing number 17 tonight against Denver.
There is some good news though. Even though Rose is not ready to come back just yet, he says his status is improving.
“(I’m feeling) way better,” Rose said. “(When the injury occurred) I was actually bleeding, my groin was bleeding, but now it’s healed. It’s just scar tissue and it’s pretty hard trying to get that to move around, it’s going to take little time. These things, (the medical staff) was telling me there was no time period. People have healed in a couple of days, in my case it’s taking a little bit of time.”
This could end up being good news for the Bulls, if they continue to play well.
Right now they have a 3.5-game lead on the Heat for the best record in the East and a 2.5-game lead on the Oklahoma City Thunder for best record in the NBA. The end of the regular season is only a month away, so if they can hold those leads and grab home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a healthy and rested Derrick Rose, they will be in very good shape.
If the Bulls weren’t playing well, they might have to rush Rose back, knowing how important home court is going to be against the Heat. This could potentially make things worse, possibly re-injuring the groin right before the playoffs, most likely putting an expiration date on the Bulls’ season and their chances at a championship.
